Chicago’s Life Expectancy Rebounds to 78.7 Years After Pandemic Dips

In 2023, Chicago's average life expectancy increased to 78.7 years, nearly reaching the pre-pandemic high. Despite this positive trend, significant disparities persist among different racial groups and neighborhoods. The city's health department attributes the improvement mainly to a decline in COVID-19-related deaths and reductions in early deaths from chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Historically, Chicago saw its highest life expectancy at 78.8 years in 2019. The pandemic caused a sharp decline, dropping to 75.2 years in 2020. However, recent data indicates a recovery as COVID-19’s impact lessened, especially due to the near-elimination of COVID-19 deaths, which previously accounted for a large portion of the racial life expectancy gap. Improvements in healthcare and efforts to reduce deaths from heart disease, cancer, and violence among Black residents have been crucial.

The overall progress reflects ongoing efforts, including city initiatives aimed at closing life expectancy gaps. Racial disparities remain, with Black Chicagoans experiencing an average life expectancy of 71.8 years, compared to 81.3 years for white residents, 82.7 years for Latinos, and 86.8 years for Asian and Pacific Islanders. Experts note that while the narrowing of the gap—now at 10.6 years—is promising, changes tend to occur slowly, and sustained efforts are needed.

Neighborhood disparities are also prominent, with some central areas enjoying life expectancies close to 87 years, while communities like West Garfield Park see averages as low as 66.6 years—more than 20 years less. Community organizations have been working to improve access to healthy foods and healthcare services in these underserved areas. The city’s strategic plan, Healthy Chicago 2025, prioritizes five neighborhoods for targeted interventions to address the root causes of health disparities, including chronic diseases, violence, and social determinants of health.

Additional efforts by coalitions such as West Side United aim to eliminate life expectancy gaps through community-based programs. Overall, Chicago’s recent progress demonstrates the impact of coordinated public health initiatives, but ongoing investment and focus remain essential to achieving health equity across all its neighborhoods.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-average-life-chicago-rebounds-years.html